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This past Wednesday, Occupy Supply hosted a webinar on Racism and the Occupy Movement – the latest installment in our online discussion series featuring journalist and editor of “Re-Defining Black Power” Joanne Griffith and Occupy Detroit media coordinator Lee Gaddies.
In my opinion this was one of the best presentations we’ve had and we were so fortunate to finally be able to work out the kinks and get a recording of the entire talk. We hope to continue to be able to provide recordings of our Occupy Supply webinars so that these conversations, ideas, and strategies can be shared for the benefit of the entire movement.
Joanne Griffith provided an excellent backdrop for our conversation by outlining the state of race and racism in America today. Covering the impact of racism on youth, police relations, our education system, and the media, Joanne painted a vivid picture of what “post-racial America” really looks like – a country in which minorities continue to suffer from brutal stereotypes and portrayals as sub-class citizens all the while bearing the brunt of systemic prejudice on a daily basis.
Following Joanne, Lee Gaddies delivered a powerful presentation on race relations at Occupy Detroit and the ways in which his group had to overcome the challenges of building a unified movement in an extremely segregated environment. Occupy protests serve as models for better societies, and as I mentioned in my preview post, there can’t be be credible voices for all people unless they first look inward and address issues of race and racism in their own encampments.
Lee began with a brief history of race relations in Michigan, a state where 7 of the most segregated cities in the entire country call home, and how his occupation grappled with the very same problems of privilege and prejudice that have divided the city since the 1940′s and even earlier. He also discussed what he called ‘the soft bigotry of liberals’ – the paternalism of white, affluent activists from the suburbs who would come to Detroit with the attitude that they were there to help folks who could not help themselves.
But Occupy Detroit did not let race relations tear their camp apart. Lee noted that “the occupy movement is set up to build power in communities” and that the goal is to empower individuals to stand up for themselves. Occupy Detroit held listening tours throughout the city to figure out the problems and needs of its residents; and most importantly, how the occupation could empower them to make change in their own lives, rather than having a bunch of activists show up and, as Lee says, “[save] black people who can’t help themselves.”
That’s only a small sampling of what was covered in this excellent talk, so I encourage you to take a listen and share this video with your friends and fellow activists in the Occupy movement.
And a HUGE thank you to Joanne, Lee, and everyone else who joined us on Wednesday – we hope to talk with you again next week!
Occupy Supply holds weekly, free online discussions about the Occupy Movement every Wednesday night at 8pm eastern. Upcoming talks include:
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- 3/28: Occupy the Farm: Food Activism & Guerrilla Gardening, feat. Jill Richardson and others TBA
- 4/04: Occupy Research: How to research local issues, feat. Sam C from Occupy Buffalo and others TBA
- 4/11: Beyond Signs & Fliers: Media and Marketing for the Occupy movement, panelists TBA
- 4/18: Occupy May Day Part 1: History of May Day Activism, panelists TBA
- 4/25: Occupy May Day Part 2: Occupy May Day General Strike, panelists TBA
14 Comments
Here is something OWS may want to discuss in relation to racism, too. If you would like further details send me your e-mail address to— amaki000@centurytel.net :
March 22, 2012, Submitted for publication in the Bemidji Pioneer Press; permission to edit is extended by the writer.
I read the three letters about Indian Gaming by Red Lake Chair Floyd Jourdain and Leech Lake Chair Archie LaRose, the opinion of White Earth Nation Chair Erma J. Vizenor in response to LaRose and Jourdain and the third, and most recent, by Bemidji resident Nicole Beaulieu.
How is it LaRose and Jourdain made no mention of poverty?
Vizenor, to her credit, did mention poverty; albeit very superficially.
But Beaulieu hit the nail on the head with her focus on poverty.
Ending poverty should be our primary focus.
But politicians focus on this campaign rhetoric of “jobs, jobs, jobs;” never so much as insisting that these jobs must be real living wage jobs if poverty is going to be ended nor insisting on anything specific because they don’t want to be held accountable for actually creating real jobs once elected.
The Chairs of the Red Lake, Leech Lake and White Earth Tribal Councils each conveniently omit the fact that amidst the tremendous wealth being created by workers in their casinos, they are paying these very casino workers creating this tremendous wealth poverty wages.
Common sense tells us paying workers poverty wages is going to result in these workers and their families being drowned in poverty. Anyone walking into any of the 7 loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos these tribal councils own can readily see there is no reason casino workers can’t be paid real living wages. In fact, Jourdain, LaRose and Vizenor are directly— along with the local, state and federal governments— directly responsible for thousands of their own tribal members living in poverty because instead of paying casino workers real living wages they are enabling the owners of the slot machines to run away with the profits.
And anyone with an ounce of common sense understands workers suffering adverse health conditions due to being forced to work in these smoke-filled casinos and as a result suffering heart and lung problems, cancers and complications from diabetes are going to be pushed even further into poverty. There are no two ways about this fact of life: working people in this country who become seriously ill are going to become very, very poor seeing as how health care is an even bigger racket and rip-off than these casinos.
I question whether Jourdain, LaRose or Vizenor give two hoots about those people they claim to represent because if they had just a modicum of concern for people, they would immediately halt smoking in their casinos.
It is strange none of the Tribal Chairs mentioned the need to fully enforce T.E.R.O. (Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance) on the reservations, and Affirmative Action off the reservation. Obviously if Native Americans don’t have access to good a job paying real living wages there is going to be massive racist unemployment driving continued shameful racist poverty.
Why is it most people want to ignore the issue of poverty when so many working people are so poor? And when poverty is talked about it is as if the reason for the existence of this massive poverty is unknown. 95% of Native Americans are working class people and well over 80% of Native Americans are poor.
The real disgrace of this country is the way Native Americans had their land and resources so violently and savagely stolen from them only to be shoved unto reservations to suffer lives of mass poverty. Make no mistake, racism began with the conquering of this continent and today the business community and Democrats and Republicans are enforcing this racism through intentionally denying Native Americans jobs while using them as a pool of cheap labor intended to push wages of all other workers down.
Like unemployment, poverty wages and poverty itself, racism is not accidental; but, rather, direct results of racist government policies created by racist politicians whose strings are pulled by employers.
But, here again, these tribal chairs so focused on casinos to the exclusion of building other enterprises as Beaulieu suggests will not entertain anything outside of casinos because they are afraid to have the presence of real living wage jobs which would force them to pay casino workers more.
Beaulieu raises a most important question: Why not expand beyond the casino industry?
Are there possibilities in doing this?
There are a myriad of possibilities from cooperatives raising vegetables, beef, hogs, chickens and turkeys to reforestation, and fishing cooperatives to green energy production and manufacturing.
So, what is the obstacle to economic development beyond the Indian Gaming Industry?
Minnesotans have subsidized Ford’s St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant to the hilt for many years.
Chair Erma Vizenor claims to have a billion dollars in hand for a joint State-Tribal Casino venture. Where she is getting this kind of money from we don’t know since she isn’t paying employees of the Shooting Star Casino real living wages.
Everyone agrees: jobs— good paying, living wage jobs— are what we need right now to work our way out of this economic mess the crumbling capitalist economy has us all mired with those who created this mess not knowing, or more like not admitting to knowing the way out because the way out of this mess is through the redistribution of wealth. And the greedy Wall Street coupon clippers are loathe to give up their wealth even though this is required for the common good.
Again, back to common sense.
Why wouldn’t Chair Vizenor suggest to Governor Dayton and State Legislators that a joint Tribal-State venture be created to keep the Saint Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant operating building solar and wind generating equipment or the components for light rail? What about manufacturing slot machines so all the profits from Indian Gaming go to Indians— isn’t this a novel idea? In fact, all of this manufacturing could take place simultaneously inside this plant providing as many as 6,000 jobs. While under Ford’s ownership in recent years maximum employment only reached 2,000. Would anyone mind if Affirmative Action was enforced and 4,000 people of color were employed? Ford previously engaged in multi-product manufacturing with this plant they now want to knock down to a pile of rubble since they are producing their Rangers in Thailand.
None of the tribes own their own slot machines. The owners of these slot machines take all the profits right off the top leaving the Indian Nations with nothing but a pile of debt. Debt equals poverty for the people of any nations— Indian Nations not excluded. Common sense tells us it would be beneficial for the tribes to own their own slot machines; the only way this is going to happen is if they manufacture the slot machines themselves.
Real wealth creation is in mining and manufacturing. Why are the Indian Nations systematically and intentionally excluded from these industries? Racism is the only explanation.
I wonder why the iron ore mining and taconite processing industry went to China to get bailed out and subsidized when Erma Vizenor apparently has billions of dollars to invest creating jobs here in Minnesota?
Minnesota State Legislators and the Mayor of our largest city with appalling racist unemployment and the resulting racist poverty apparently have billions to invest in a new Vikings’ Stadium that we Minnesotans need like we need a hole in our heads.
And no new Stadium jobs will be created. The present Stadium employs over 1,900 people; Governor Dayton claims a new Vikings’ Stadium will employ 2,000 people— no net job gain here.
Saving the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant from the wrecking ball would create a minimum of over 2,000 jobs that don’t exist at the present time, and if the project were managed right under public ownership we would be able to create well over 6,000 new jobs— jobs at real living wages in a safe and healthy smoke-free environment where real wealth is produced and worker’s rights are protected under state and federal labor laws unlike Minnesota’s 44,000 casino workers forced to work in smoke-filled casinos at poverty wages and without any rights.
Is it coincidental the very politicians wanting to build a new stadium for the Vikings ignore the plight of casino workers while allowing the Ford Motor Company to take the wrecking ball to a perfectly good manufacturing facility? No. To put it bluntly: the priorities of these politicians are all screwed up.
I would note the wise words of one candidate for White Earth Nation Chair, Char Lee-Ovaldson, who writes in the monthly chronicle of the White Earth Nation, Anishinaabeg Today (Feb. 15, 2012 page 5), “…The economy needs to be improved. Poverty and unemployment have stifled our voices and have kept our people in hopelessness too long. We need to build a strong economy.”
Well, we all know what a strong economy is. A strong economy is a diverse economy centered on solving the problems of the people by meeting the needs of the people which means paying people real living wages to accomplish this.
I am asking: If there are billions of dollars available to build a new casino and a Vikings’ Stadium; aren’t these same billions of dollars available to create real living wage jobs with those employed manufacturing what our society really needs? If not, we need an explanation of why not.
Mark Dayton came to me begging for my support while seeking votes running for office; I expect that Governor Dayton will be answering my questions posed here.
Racism hurts and harms the victims the worst but the rest of us are suffering, too, as this racism is blinding our society to real solutions to our problems.
Poverty and unemployment are our common problems. Jobs for all by strictly enforcing T.E.R.O. and Affirmative Action while paying casino workers— and ALL workers— real living wages is the solution.
Will the Chairs of the Red Lake, Leech Lake and White Earth Tribal Councils join me in insisting that the minimum wage be indexed to all cost of living factors and inflation?
To his credit, Archie LaRose did support a strong resolution which referenced support for my letter to the governor demanding Affirmative Action be enforced in Minnesota but his colleagues Chair Floyd Jourdain and Chair Erma J. Vizenor have not joined him; why not?
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
Thanks Alan; I should add we have several other people and perspectives on this topic so we might actually hold a “part 2″ webinar on Racism and the Occupy Movement.
I think that it is very good you are delving into ways of fighting racism. OWS should be commended for undertaking this struggle.
This was one of the problems I had with part of the civil rights movement (I am no way saying it was bad.) But the white college kids that came down knew that they could go back to their nice white neighborhoods and continue on. But the Blacks they left behind still had to deal with the racism and bigotry that was still there and I think in some cases, made worse by this as it fostered even more resentment than was already there.
Empowering people to be able to fight their own fights without sticking your nose in where it may not help.
Thanks Alan!
When I studied social movements in Latin America this was one of the most common complaints about the US I heard. A lot of times the student ‘aid’ trips organized by schools to visit impoverished communities did far more harm than good for a lot of the same reasons Lee points to in his talk.
These trips are organized with the best intentions of course, and when I was younger I even participated in one, but well you know what they say about best intentions…
What my grandmother was fond of saying, I’ll bet. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”
There is a flip side of this. Without the involvement from the outside the victories most likely would have not been possible. Almost all winning struggles require a good amount of support and solidarity.
In case anyone is interested in Joanne Griffith’s reference in the video, here is her new book, Redefining Black Power.
And this.
“It is not the same to talk of bulls as to be in the bullring.” Spanish Proverb
Oh absolutely, but it’s about communicating and working with one another as opposed to dispensing charity and looking on others with pity and guilt.
Bingo
Excellent work FDL in bringing this issue to the fore and what this mean to overall progressiveness in our society.
thanks ironcomments! hope to have more like it.